noun
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precipitation in the form of raindrops
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meteorol the amount of precipitation in a specified place and time
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rainfall
Vocabulary lists containing rainfall
The Water Cycle - Introductory
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Earth Science - Middle School
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The Water Cycle - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“We expect less wine production this season because of lower rainfall, and the harvest will start one week earlier than planned,” Naegler said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
They have known for decades that climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of several types of extreme weather events, including hurricanes, heat waves and extreme rainfall.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
Parts of England have recorded 0% of the rainfall they would normally expect so far in the month.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Extra rainfall and meltwater from ice make the ocean fresher.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Did it indeed seem probable, as he had once overheard Dunbar ask, that the answers to the riddles of creation would be supplied by people too ignorant to understand the mechanics of rainfall?
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Extreme rainfalls during the ongoing monsoon season are a major source of floods in several parts of India.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025
Most notably, in May 2017, some 6 million cubic yards of earth moved after torrential rainfalls, adding 15 acres of coastline.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2024
California has otherwise experienced a mild wildfire season, after dozens of atmospheric rivers pummeled the state earlier this year and delivered record rainfalls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2023
Scientists have discovered a new technique which will shed light on the phenomena of winter monsoons -- the heavy autumn and winter rainfalls which can cause floods and landslides across southeast Asia.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2023
It is our second month in Anlungthmor and we are amid one of the worst rainfalls ever.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
